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In a historic breakthrough for Nigerian democracy, President Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat Tuesday in a hard-fought presidential election, signaling that he will peacefully turn over power to his victorious rival, Muhammadu Buhari.

Jonathan, 57, the first sitting leader to be defeated at the ballot box, was hailed as a hero by the opposition after he called Buhari, 72, to congratulate him on his victory late Tuesday afternoon, even before the final result was announced.

Nobody's ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian, Jonathan said in a statement, the Associated Press reported. I promised the country free and fair elections. I have kept my word.

Jonathans concession dramatically reduced the tension in one of the most bitterly contested elections in Nigerian history.

A peaceful transfer of power in Africas most populous nation sends a strong democratic message across a continent where many presidents cling to power for decades. Democracy advocates worry that several presidents want to engineer changes to their constitutions to extend their terms.

Nigerias opposition All Progressives Congress, or APC, had stirred up fear that the governing Peoples Democratic Party, or PDP, planned to scuttle the election.

Jonathan, however, resisted strong pressure from government members who were openly pushing for the removal of Attahiru Jega, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

There had always been this fear that he might not want to concede, but he will remain a hero for this move. The tension will go down dramatically. Anyone who tries to foment trouble on the account that they have lost the election will be doing so purely on his own, APC spokesman Lai Mohammed said.

In another positive sign, a prominent PDP state governor, Ayodele Fayose, urged the governing partys supporters to accept the result.

The election result is the will of God and Nigerians, and all lovers of peace, progress and development of Nigeria must accept it, he said in a written statement, adding that Nigerians had cemented the countrys democracy.

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Nigeria President Jonathan hailed as hero for conceding election defeat

Story highlights Muhammadu Buhari's party says incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan has conceded Buhari is a 72-year-old retired major general who ruled in Nigeria in the 1980s Jonathan has been in power since 2010

All Progressives Congress party spokesman Garba Shehu confirmed Jonathan had made the call.

The Independent National Electoral Commission is still announcing the final tally in the polls, but early numbers indicate Buhari, now the President-elect, has an overwhelming majority of votes.

Buhari ruled Nigeria from late 1983 until August 1985 after ousting his predecessor in a coup.

His 20-month rule was known for what he described as a "war on indiscipline," a tough regime that some say was marred by human rights abuses.

The 72-year-old retired major general's experience as a military ruler has variably been viewed as a plus or minus in present-day Nigeria, where the government has been locked in a deadly battle with the militant group Boko Haram.

His campaign has focused on security and ending corruption in Nigeria.

Read more: Who is Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari?

Violent protests after Nigeria's presidential elections Saturday sparked calls for calm from the two main candidates and a warning by the United States and Britain against political interference.

Demonstrators fired gunshots and torched a local electoral office in Nigeria's oil-rich Rivers state on Sunday as they marched to protest the elections amid claims of vote-rigging and voter intimidation.

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Buhari's party claims victory in Nigeria poll

Nigerian opposition leader Muhammadu Buhari claimed a historic victory Tuesday, defeating President Goodluck Jonathan in the countrys first democratic ouster of a sitting leader.

With just one of 36 states left to deliver results, Buhari had 15.1 million votes to Jonathans 11.7 million, according to an unofficial tally by the Reuters news agency. Jonathan called Buhari to concede late Tuesday afternoon.

"At about 5 minutes to 5, President Jonathan called General Muhammadu Buhari, the winner of the elections, to congratulate him," opposition All Progressive Congress spokesman Lai Mohammed said.

Mohammed called Jonathans action heroic and said it would dramatically reduce tension in one of the most bitterly contested elections in Nigerian history, according to Reuters.

"There had always been this fear that he might not want to concede, but he will remain a hero for this move. The tension will go down dramatically. Anyone who tries to foment trouble on the account that they have lost the election will be doing so purely on his own," Mohammed said.

The governing Peoples Democratic Party had questioned the results of Saturdays election in at least seven states, but ultimately conceded. Buharis All Progressives Congress had unsuccessfully called for the cancellation of results in southeastern Rivers state, at the heart of Nigerias crucial oil sector, after incidents of what it complained were intimidation and violence.

The opposition APC sent mass text messages to its supporters, urging them to remain indoors and celebrate with their families, warning that the PDP had hired thugs to shoot and bomb those celebrating.

Those warnings were joyously ignored in Kano, the country's second largest city, which is in Buhari's heartland in the countrys north.

Cars raced at top speed with horns blaring, swooping from one side of the road to the other, with people almost spilling from windows, waving the opposition symbol, straw brooms and opposition flags. The air was filled with the smell of burning rubber as motorcycles did crazy skids. Some motorcycle riders drifted along hands free, their arms out by their sides.

People walked around with cellphones glued to their ears, listening as the final results trickled in. Mustafa Mohammed, 25, a student, shared dual headphone wires with a friend as he listened to the news on a smartphone.

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Muhammadu Buhari claims historic win in Nigeria presidential election

Maher progressives that stupid?
Maher asking a good question.

By: Truth Detector

The rest is here:
Maher progressives that stupid? - Video

But other observers say NDP's fortunes rest on the Liberals.

'Job number one is to criticize,' said Broadbent Institute executive director Rick Smith.

Canadian progressives have a plan to oust Stephen Harper in the 2015 federal election and it is starting to come together, said the executive director of the Broadbent Institute, a progressive think-tank named for former federal New Democrat leader Ed Broadbent.

Rick Smith spoke to The Tyee on Sunday after the institute's annual Progress Summit wrapped up in Ottawa. The three days of panels, speeches and mixers provided an opportunity for progressives to discuss politics and how to increase progressive power in Canada.

Though the institute doesn't officially endorse any party, its values and policies are often similar to the NDP's.

"Job number one is to criticize," Smith said, "to draw the curtain back on the craziness of the Conservative government's ideas, but also to formulate in a more coherent and positive way an exciting new progressive agenda."

The conservative movement's organizing efforts have consistently outdone those of the progressive side for the last 10 years, and progressives must "catch up" to gain power, he said.

The Progress Summit initially expected just 600 attendees and ended up drawing 900, which stretched the venue, a Delta hotel, to its limits, with people spilling out of conference room doors at some panels.

"Stephen Harper should take note of the fact that 900 highly skilled, highly motivated progressive activists got together in Ottawa and left today with a game plan," Smith said.

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Progressives Must 'Catch up' to Win in 2015, Says Broadbent Chief (in News)